Jim Johnson

EDMONTON, Alberta – Of course the Edmonton Oilers would love to get a win Wednesday night against the Sharks to climb a little bit in the Pacific Division standings. But they also make no bones about wanting to deliver a victory for their coach, Todd McLellan.

“He was there for a while and it’s probably a special game for him,” Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz said Wednesday. “It’s just like a player playing against his old team, everyone tries to put that extra effort in to get that win for him, so we’re going to try and do that tonight for Todd.”

Dylan DeMelo got a brief taste of life in the NHL last season. He’d like to make his next stay with the Sharks last a little longer.

After two full seasons in the American Hockey League, the 22-year-old DeMelo is hoping to take advantage of what appears to be a golden opportunity to make the leap to the NHL. The Sharks top five defensemen spots are set with Brent Burns, Paul Martin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun and Brenden Dillon, but the sixth and seventh spots look to be up for grabs once training camp starts in September. Other candidates include Mirco Mueller, Matt Tennyson and Mark Cundari. Matt Irwin signed with the Bruins on Friday.

“I think he looks really good. This is his year … and I think he’s going to come to camp and make a big splash,” San Jose Barracuda coach Roy Sommer said Thursday. “He’s a guy that you’re not going to fall in love with because he doesn’t wow you with anything, but he’s as steady as you’re going to get.”

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said last week that new coach Peter DeBoer should have his assistant coaches in place by early July when the team holds its prospect development camp at Sharks Ice. The former Sharks coach, though, filled out his staff with a couple of familiar faces.

The Edmonton Oilers announced Thursday that Jay Woodcroft and Jim Johnson will be assistants on Todd McLellan’s staff for the upcoming season. Both Woodcroft and Johnson were let go by the Sharks when McLellan and the team parted ways in April.

Woodcroft joining McLellan again was no surprise, as McLellan basically told the Edmonton Sun at the World Championships that Woodcroft would be coming with him wherever he landed. The two have worked together since their days in Detroit a decade ago. Johnson’s future seemed a bit more murky, as he had been only been behind the bench with McLellan for the last three seasons. Clearly, McLellan values Johnson’s experience, particularly in working with defensemen.